Roger Federer was cruising along so easily, he was probably thinking about Midtown Tunnel traffic on his way back to Manhattan.
He moved up 4-0 in the third-set tiebreaker late last night at chilly Ashe Stadium. Federer was ready to straight-set Robin Soderling, a Swede he had beaten all 12 times in their career matchup and 28 of 29 sets.
Then suddenly a night match broke out in Flushing, and Federer held on for dear life. As Soderling’s serve picked up, Federer got frustrated at some line calls and began arguing in French to the chair umpire.
Soderling rallied to win the third-set tiebreaker, and held a set point in the fourth-set tiebreaker before the Swiss Maestro survived in a 6-0, 6-3, 6-7 (8-6), 7-6 (8-6) victory.
Federer advanced to his 22nd straight Grand Slam semifinal — an incredible feat that often goes overlooked amidst his Slam record. He will face Novak Djokovic, who gutted through a four-set win yesterday afternoon over Fernando Verdasco.
“He found his way into the match to show how great a player he really is,” Federer said. “I got off the fryer.”
It was really inexplicable that the match turned around and the night monster was unleashed in Flushing — many rooting for Soderling to post the historic upset.
Federer’s backhand particularly became ragged as Soderling came on late in the third and fourth sets. The fourth-set tiebreaker was sensational. Federer banged two straight aces to take a 5-4 lead. Soderling came right back to rip two straight aces to reach set point at 6-5, with a fifth set looking very possible.
But Soderling hit a forehand long to tie it at 6 and Federer then made a splendid retrieval of a would-be winner, splitting his legs to reach the ball, and Soderling pounded a backhand wide before Federer closed it out on his serve, with Soderling hitting a forehand wide.
“It was cold, so I thought I had the advantage because I’m from Switzerland,” Federer said, “but then it got colder, so maybe Sweden is colder.”
Meanwhile, Djokovic, who played to his prankster reputation Monday night, when he called John McEnroe down to the Ashe Stadium court and conducted a for-laughs midnight exhibition against the emotive star-turned-broadcaster, was in no mood for high jinks in his 7-6 (2), 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Verdasco.
After an uneven first two sets, Djokovic found the range late in the third, breaking the Spanish lefty at 5-5, serving out the set, and securing two more breaks early in the fourth. His serve and baseline pressure intensified as Verdasco, who was treated for an abdominal ailment, lost the sizzle off his port-side forehand.
“I managed to come back, and that’s what matters,” Djokovic said.